The 7th Circuit recently handed down a decision that could drastically impact the $300 billion global pharmaceutical industry.

A unanimous three-judge panel ruled May 8 in the consolidated cases Schaefer-LaRose v. Eli Lilly & Co. and Jirak v. Abbott Laboratories Inc. that sales representatives at Eli Lilly and Abbott, which are among the top U.S.-based pharmaceutical companies, are not entitled to overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).